Turn signal apparatus



April 2, 1940. v. GEISHEIMER 2,195,776

TURNSIGNAL APPARATUS Filed June 26, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 29 #5 27 /3 z/7 9- is //Z/ Z7 Z6 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS z7 a I a alenlzn Gels/learnerApril 1940. v. GEISHEIMER 2,195,776

TURN SIGNAL APPARATUS med June 26, 1939 2 Sheets-$heet 2 INVENTORATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 2, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFlCE,

2 Claims.

This invention relates to turn signal apparatus and has for an object toprovide a switch which may be mounted conveniently on a clutch pedal andoperated by merely shifting the foot to the 6 right or to the left of afoot rest integral with the device to control signalcircuits indicativeof the driver's intention to turn.

A further object is to provide apparatus of this character which will beformed of a few strong, simple and durable parts which will beinexpensive to manufacture and which will not easily get out of order.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists ofcertain novel details of construction and combinations of partshereinafter fully described and claimed, it being understood thatvarious modifications may be resorted'to within the scope of theappended claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any ofthe 29 advantages of the invention.

In the accompanying-drawings forming part of this specification,

Figure 1 is a plan view of a switch constructed in accordance with theinvention.

Figure 2 is a cross sectional view of the switch taken on the line 22 ofFigure 1.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the switch taken on theline 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of a pair of signal lights andshowing the electrical connections of the control switch therewith.

Figure 5 is a side elevation of the switch mounted on the clutch pedal.

Figure 6 is a front elevation of one of the signal lamps.

Figure 7 is a front elevation of the pilot lamps and supporting brackettherefor.

Figure 8 is a detail cross sectional view taken on the line 8-8 ofFigure 7.

Referring now to the drawings in which like characters of referencedesignate similar parts in the various views, Hi designates a padadapted to be supported upon a foot plate ll of a clutch pedal 12, asbest shown in Figure 5. The pad is preferably formed of rubber and isprovided in its front end portion with a recess in which is mounted acopper power plate l3, best shown in Fig ure 2. The plate is providedwith a tab M which carries a bolt l5 through the medium of which theplate may be connected to the battery wire it, as best shown in Figurel. An upper fiber plate I! and a lower fiber plate l8 extend entirelyover the upper and lower faces of the pad, at one end of the pad asshown in Figure 1, and are secured together, and to the pad by bolts l9passed through these parts. The copper power plate i3 rests upon thelower fiber plate Hi.

Bolts 2K2, forming electrics} terminals, extend through the upper fiberplate i? and through the upper portion of the pad'and. have their lowerends positioned in a 2 i the pad. The terminal bolts are spa"- d fromthe power plate and are engaged throu a spacing bushings carried by thepad and extending to the underneath face of the top plate 51. Theterminal bolts are connected by respective wires to respectivesiglamp-s, as be presently described. The upper one of the terminaibolts are covered by a r movable foot rest fid, preferably formed ofsecured in through the medium of Si ew best shown in Figures 1 and 2,this so ew through the top plate l"? and into the between the terminalbolts. The foot rest is in the nature or a shell which houses the nutsof the bolts, between which nuts the conductor wires 23 are clamped.

A contact spring is connected at one end to the lower end of eachterminal bolt. Fiber push buttons 28 are slidably mounted in the pad andrest upon the outer free ends of the respective contact springs The pushbuttons are slidably engaged through metal bushings 29 which guidesliding movement of the push buttons. The upper ends of the push buttonsare provided with caps 30 which are located at opposite sides of theterminal cover or foot rest 24, and either one may be engaged anddepressed by shifting the foot laterally in one direction or the other,from the foot rest.

A substantially T-shaped clip 3| is secured to the underneath face ofthe block through the medium of screws 32 passed downwardly through theblock and into the clip, as best shown in Figure 1. The lateral branchesand the shank of the clip are provided with projecting ends 33 which maybe bent over the side edges and the bottom edge of the foot plate H ofthe clutch pedal, as best shown in Figure 5, to secure the switch inplace.

As best shown in Figure 4 two signal lamps 34 are provided, adapted tobe attached in any preferred manner to the front and to the rear of avehicle. Each signal lamp is provided with a center division wall 35adapted to divide the lamp into an upper and a lower compartment. Aglass lens 36 is provided and the lens marked with upper and lowerarrows 31, of distinctive colors, one pointing to the right, and onepointing to the left, to denote an intended turn.

A lamp bulb 38 is mounted in each compartment and is insulated from therear wall 39 of the lamp through the medium of an insulating bushing 40.The signal wires 23 are connected to a respective signal bulb in onelamp and a concluctor wire 4| connects said bulb in series with thecorresponding signal bulb of the other lamp, as shown diagrammaticallyin Figure 4.

A pair of pilot lights 42 are provided, each being mounted on a leg 43of a bracket 44 having a hook 45 thereon to receive the flange 46 on thebottom of the instrument board 41. A set screw 48 is engaged through thehook and advanced against the flange to secure the pilot lamps withinconvenient view of the driver. Conductor wires 49 connect the pilotlights in series with the two respective signal bulbs, as showndiagrammatically in Figure 4, so that when one of the signal bulbs inthe front and one of the signal bulbs in the rear signal lamp areenergized to indicate an intended turn, the corresponding pilot lampwill be energized.

The circuit wires 23 are secured by strap clamps 50 to the clutch pedal,as best shown in Figure 5, so that the wires will not become broken.

In operation when the driver approaches an intersection, he need onlytilt his foot to the right or to the left in either direction ofi of thefoot rest 2 to push down a predetermined push button 28. The push buttondeforms the respective contact spring 21 downwardly into circuit closingposition with the copper power plate [3. The current flows from thepower plate into the contact spring and into the selected pair of signalbulbs corresponding to the desired turn, also to the respective pilotlight associated with these signal bulbs.

In practice the switch may be assembled and placed in a pad mold andthen the rubber may be molded around the switch or the switch may bebuilt into the rubber pad after the pad is formed.

From the above description it is thought that the construction andoperation of the invention will be fully understood without furtherexplanation.

What is claimed is:

l. The combination with a motor vehicle pedal, of a switch comprising arubber pad adapted to be placed upon and secured to the bottom plate ofthe pedal, the pad being provided in its front end portion with arecess, a conductor plate in said recess, means for connecting theconductor plate to a source of electricity, push buttons mounted on saidpad, leaf springs on the push buttons adapted to engage the conductorplate to form circuit closers, terminals securing the leaf springsstationary at one end and projecting through the top face of the pad forconnection to signal circuit wires, and a hollow foot rest on the padforming a housing for the terminals, said push buttons being adapted tobe operated by movement of a drivers foot laterally from the foot rest.

2. A switch comprising a rubber pad adapted to be placed upon andsecured to the foot plate of a motor vehicle pedal, the pad beingprovided in its front end portion with a recess, a metal conductor platein said recess having one end provided with a terminal extendingexteriorly of the pad, fiber plates extending upon the pad above andbelow the conductor plate, terminals extending through the upper fiberplate and entering said recess, spacers on said terminals engaging theunderneath face of the upper fiber plate, a hollow foot rest on the topface of the pad housing said terminals, leaf springs secured to theterminals in said recess, foot operated push buttons projecting throughthe upper fiber plate on opposite sides of the foot rest and engagingthe free ends of the leaf springs for moving the leaf springs intocircuit closing position with said conductor plate, and guide sleeves insaid pad slidably receiving the push buttons.

VALENI'IN GEISHEIMER.

